


Lost History in a Founder's Hat

by ChickenGoesMoo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8825641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickenGoesMoo/pseuds/ChickenGoesMoo
Summary: You may not remember me, but I remember you. I remember all those whose heads I have sat upon, no matter how much time may have passed. I know your secrets, just as I know everyone's secrets before you. What? You want me to tell you a secret? Well, that's hardly ethical! Though, it is rather unsurprising hearing that thought coming from your mind. You always were a curious one. And it's not like I have anyone else to think to…Alright. I suppose one little secret won't hurt too much.How would you like it if I told you the secrets of the founding four?(The memoirs of four great magical beings, bound and preserved under the brim of an old hat)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fun thought I came up with a while ago, and have finally decided to put into writing. Haven't edited much, so I apologize for anything wrong.

You may not remember me, but I remember you. I remember all those whose heads I have sat upon, no matter how much time may have passed. I know your secrets, just as I know everyone's secrets before you. 

What? You want me to tell you a secret? Well, that's hardly ethical! Though, it is rather unsurprising hearing that thought coming from your mind. You always were a curious one. And it's not like I have anyone else to think to…

Alright. I suppose one little secret won't hurt too much. How about I tell you about the four people who created me and those houses you and your friends currently reside in today?

That's right. How would you like it if I told you the secrets of the founding four. 

Little is known about the Hogwarts founders. What is known is that Godric liked the brave and heroic children, while Rowena loved her children nearly as much as they loved books. Salizar liked those with a sense of self preservation, and Helga liked to mother any children who didn't feel like they belonged anywhere else in the world. That, and the well known fact that they ran a school together until a fight that signaled the end of an era, with Salazar leaving the castle and never returning. 

Little is known about the men and women before they decided to ventured forth and make a name for themselves, just as little is known about how they lived and cohabited as the leaders of a school for gifted children. Even less is known about the founders after the infamous fight that led to their falling out, though it is strongly suspected that the argument was brought on by Salazar's and Godric's opposing views over the types of children admitted into the school. 

Sadly, even that is unclear to history. 

Those few old enough to know what exactly went down that day are either ghosts, or this old thinking cap of Rowena's. Sadly, the former of which are uncomfortable talking about the subject, much preferring to let the sad, bloody history of the old castle die with the four greatest Wizards that ever lived. Because sometimes its easier to let the next generation live in ignorance than to inform them of the truths:

\- Not every great Wizard or witch is without flaw.  
\- Sometimes, very bad things are done with good intentions, just as many good things are done with bad.  
\- Not every story has a happy ending, nor does it need to have a bad one. Sometimes, it just ends.  
\- Not every Hero is just and right.  
\- Not every villain is immoral and cruel.  
\- Not even a seer can see everything.  
\- Not even a mother can protect her family.  
\- And, finally, not all monsters are born hideous abominations, hatched from a chicken egg nestled beneath the belly of a toad. Sometimes, they are born from wounds, festering the heart and tainting the soul. Sadly, No amount of time can reverse the creation of such a monster, no matter how hard we try. But time can help one forget, as many have. 

And that is what the ghosts of Hogwarts do. They forget, in hopes that one day, when the memory is gone, they will be able to move forward to that other plane of existence. 

But I will never forget. Cursed with a memory as sharp as my creator, I will never be able to forget the images inside of the many heads I have sat atop. I have stopped trying. They are a part of me, just as the lint, and the patches are; imperfect, just as history is, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Just like the flaws of my dearest creators, though mine are much more visible. 

Unlike the ghosts, I hold onto their memories. I'd like to think that they have found each other, and reconciled. I like to think that they are together somewhere, back with their very first generation of Hogwarts students, imparting upon them their infinite wisdom for much longer than they had been able to in life. 

I think Helga would teach the children what it meant to be loved with all one's heart. Godric would protect them with all his soul. Rowena would wring her mind for every last ounce of genius to give. And Salazar? Well, I think he would spend every drop of his sweat, pure-blood, and tears showing his children how to survive on their own in a world of narrow minded hate. 

Then again, I tend to think a lot. What do I know? I'm old, tatty, and worn, though not nearly as much as I use to be. I'm not much to look at, really, but I remember their minds like it was yesterday. And I like to think that they live on, if not elsewhere, then in the memories I have from them. And perhaps, they even live on in this old hat's dreams. 

At least, that's what I like to think, when I am given time to ponder my existence and other's over the course of a school year. 

Perhaps that's why they call me the thinking cap. 

I like to think of them often, and their story's are ones I don't think I will ever forget. 

So, come on over if you are curious, and try me on for size. Together, we can think of a time gone by, and remember stories long forgotten and largely untold. 

Tales of murder, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, sorrow, and so much more. 

A saga of wrongs that can never be righted, and forgiveness just out of reach. It is an epic that ends before it could fully form. An old fable of a truth seeking knight, a wronged sorcerer, a starry eyed maiden, and a humble baker-woman. 

If such a tale interests you, please, come and think with me for a while. I don't mind the company, and it will be another year or so before I am worn again.

So please, sit and think with me a while, and remember the lives of the people who gave your house it's name. 

Oh, and I apologize in advance for the smell of sweat and mothballs. Thankfully, I don't have a nose, but I sensed from this past year's students that it was nearly unbearable. 

But, such is the price for knowledge, if you are willing to pay it.


End file.
